Fifa 16 has given the players emotional responses that depend on the context of the match

In an attempt to make the game feel more alive, EA Sports has given the players emotional responses that depend on the context of the match. That means that if a player receives a dodgy challenge in the first ten minutes, they’ll likely just get up, dust themselves off and get on with it. But if they’re on the receiving end of a bunch of crunching tackles, they’ll begin to start throwing their hands in the air and getting a bit aggro.

Feeding into this is a system that tracks the players’ feelings about each other. This extends to players on the same team too. So if Steven Gerrard keep fluffing his passes, or ballooning shots into row z, his teammates will start remonstrating with him. According to EA Sports there are over 600 potential emotional reactions that could play out over the course of a game. It has nothing to do with gameplay, but it’s a nice presentational flourish.

Teams will now have contextual awareness of the game and dynamically adjust their tactics according to the situation. For example, your opponent could be leading by a goal in the 88th minute and decide to hold the ball in the corner in an attempt to run down the clock. The end result is a more humanlike opponent that takes more risks when trailing, and potentially a more conservative approach when leading. Park the bus, in the mixer, and time wasting are just some of the team tactics fans will recognise in FIFA 16.

The final big introduction this year comes in the form of Concept Squads. Instead of taking a gamble on a player in the transfer market without knowing how he will affect the overall quality and chemistry of your squad, you can add the desired player ahead of any potential purchase and see the impact he will have. Once players not in your collection are added to the line-up, the team board will have a chalkboard aesthetic, so you’re aware this isn’t a usable team. Players can create entire concept squads of their ideal signings, then go out and earn money to buy them. There isn’t a way to test out concept squads in offline friendlies, though, which is a shame. If EA could add a testing ground for these squads, in training matches where no coins are earned, it would give a more in-depth look at potential line-ups, and more reason to invest or tweak formations.